


a thousand years

by vorpal_platypus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-18
Updated: 2013-12-18
Packaged: 2018-01-05 01:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1088049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vorpal_platypus/pseuds/vorpal_platypus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It is my opinion that Levi is exceptionally powerful in the Force. As I pursued him, he used it to augment his physical abilities instinctively, with a level fluency I believe would shame some of my peers. His talent is marred by his turbulent emotions, which is in fact, why he later approached me of his own accord. I concede was provoked by fear, but I wish to stress his compassion: he does not desire for his Force abilities to do harm. Given this, I believe Levi has the potential to become an able Jedi and a boon to the Order and its goals. However, without proper instruction and control, he will destroy himself and everything around him.”</p><p>The one where Levi is the padawan learner of one Irina Smith.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a thousand years

**Author's Note:**

> title is a reference to how long it's gonna take for them to get their shit together
> 
> Originally posted on [my writing blog](http://theplatypusquacks.tumblr.com/post/70377034913/a-thousand-years).

Irina is assigned to mediate a trade dispute. In true Jedi fashion, she notes in exasperation, it ends with her on some backwater planet tracking down a smuggling ring. Of course all the accusations about foul play were false; of course there was a third party involved. Of course Irina ends up stalking through an open air market with a sound recorder strapped to the inside of her wrist for proof. Her assignment was only to mediate the dispute, after all, though she has every intention of filing a formal request for a very thorough investigation.

The coarse, homespun fabric of her Jedi robes is wholly appropriate, yet despite that, Irina feels wholly out of place mingling in the crowd. Perhaps it’s her height, the fact she neglects to stoop and slump her shoulders. Her lightsaber is tucked into her tunic rather than clipped to her belt, and she clenches, unclenches, clenches her left hand into a fist.

Trailing after a person so devoid of presence in the Force is a difficult task, or at least, that’s Irina’s excuse when someone manages to pickpocket her. She snaps the boy up by his wrists, gripping them tightly enough his hand goes limp, his bones dig into her palm and her wallet drops to the dusty ground.

“Let go of me you old hag!”

His antagonism hits her in the throat, and Irina feels it grow tight, like it were being crushed. Shock loosens her grip, and she forgets to grab his ankle when he aims a kick at her gut. She keels over with a grunt, watching out of one eye as the boy disappears back into the crowd. As she gets to her feet, coughing to get her throat working again, she glares at the stragglers of the crowd that had gathered.

“Old hag,” she hisses. She lost the man she’d been trailing since this morning.She wants to rip her communicator off her wrist and snap it, but instead, she touches her fingers to her neck. Force sensitivity testing was hardly comprehensive in the Outer Rim, though she supposes the Force works in mysterious ways, dropping such a powerful one in her lap.

Untrained as he is, he’s incapable of hiding his Force presence. Irina clips her lightsaber back onto her belt; no reason to keep a low profile after a scene like that. She follows the boy at a distance, well out of sight. A pickpocket’s life is difficult, she muses as he starts running again. At one point, she spots him sprinting across the rooftops. When he leaps across a street to the other building’s roof, he lands on both his feet and doesn’t stumble.

It’s hours later, when the sun had set, that the boy stops. His pace slows, and Irina steps out from behind him, hand on her lightsaber.

He stiffens. “You got your wallet back already. I dropped it before I even took anything.”

"Yes-"

"So what are you still doing here? Were you following me? The whole day?"

Irina drops her hand to her side, palms empty and open. “You’re Force sensitive. I am a Jedi.”

"What does that have to do with anything?" He turns around, eyes darting to the empty spaces behind her.

"Quite a bit," she says. "You’re not the only one who knows to use the Force to jump further."

The boy only starts to back away, and Irina sighs.

“I’m not here to-”

“Hurt me? But you’re here to take me away,” he says. “To somewhere off planet.”

Irina crosses her arms, tucking them into her sleeves. “You can run faster than, jump further than anyone you know. You know you’ll always land on your feet, but you don’t know why. Something tells you this man will turn right, so you turn left. You get angry, and glass shatters. People gasp for air because you wish it. One day, you fear it will be someone actually important. Am I correct?”

When he stays silent, Irina continues. “You need to be trained. You put everyone at risk if you remain this way.”

Irina almost feels guilty when the boy’s shoulders slump. “You can do much good as a Jedi. I was in the middle of tracking down a smuggling ring,” she says, “when I ran into you. We maintain peace-“

“Then why the fuck are you the first one I’ve ever seen?”

Irina’s mouth thins. “Our resources are limited.”

The boy laughs. “Limited.”

“You will cause more damage if you remain here and untrained,” she says again. “What may I call you?”

“Levi.”

“Levi,” she says, kneeling so her face is level with his. His face is dusty, streaked where he’d tried to wash it. “Come with me to Coruscant. We can get you properly tested, a proper Jedi master to teach you.” She is close enough to hear him breathe.

“What about-” He licks his lips. “Others. Other kids, can the Jedi-”

“Absolutely not. The Jedi Order takes only Force sensitives-”

“Well, fuck your Order!”

“Levi,” Irina starts, but he’s scrambling over the walls, and his anger flows so freely she nearly gags. She huffs, getting to her feet and beating the dirt from her robes. She has a mission to finish, she supposes.

*

Irina taps a button on the side of the recorder. The screen flickers with static, and the recording plays loud and clear in her ear, interrupted only occasionally with static. She unties it and tucks it into her pocket, but looks up when she feels Levi come to a stop behind her.

"Hello."

"About Coruscant." He takes a step forward. "Are you still…?"

Levi feels messy: a nauseating mix of trepidation, fear, nervousness. Like this, he is susceptible to the dark side, but she doesn’t think he will try to choke her today. She turns to face him, a step to the side.

"Yes?"

His nostrils flare. “Are you really doing this?”

Levi is shrunk in on himself. Through the grime, he looks pale, and he’s grasping at his sleeves. He looks faint, and Irina didn’t need the Force to tell her that at all.

"You look hungry," she says, voice gentler than she’d expected it to be. "Would you like some food?"

"Where?"

"Anywhere you’d like. Though I warn you, a Jedi’s salary isn’t particularly hefty."

They end up at a diner. Irina nurses her tea, tepid and bland, with both her hands clasped in her lap after she touched the tabletop and found it sticky. Half the letters of the diner’s neon, crooked sign were either out or flickering feebly, and Irina is unreadable as she watches Levi devour a bantha burger. The grease seeps through the bun onto his fingers, and when he sets it down to shove some fries into his mouth, he sucks them clean first. He swallows too quickly once and gives himself hiccups, so Irina pushes his glass of juice towards him. He takes it and drinks half of it in one go, and as she watches his throat bob, Irina wonders how long it’s been since he last ate.

"Aren’t you hungry?" Some grease had dripped onto his plate, and Levi mops it up with his fries before sticking them in his mouth.

"Not at the moment, but thank you." She holds out a napkin for him.

Levi takes it and wipes his face. Irina thinks it took less than fifteen minutes for Levi to finish the entire plate. Food gone, Levi begins to fidget, legs swinging aimlessly because they were too short to reach the floor. He looks very, very young.

"How old are you?"

"I don’t know. I guess eight?"

Irina hums. “A bit old as far as the Jedi are concerned.”

"Aren’t you the one who made a big deal about me getting trained?"

"Yes, I was. What prompted the change of heart?"

Levi looks away, the color blanched from his face. He is quiet, but Irina has played this game before. If she stays quiet for long enough, the other will talk.

"I went back home. Late, because I was trying to ditch you,” he hisses, “so they asked me shit I didn’t want to answer. I got angry and-“

He stops because the tea spoon Irina set on the table started rattling. The angry flush on his face disappears, leaving it as pale as it had been when he began. Irina smiles. “And?”

"I fucking shattered something alright? It fucking went to pieces, and one of them cut-"

"That’s quite enough," Irina interrupts. "The other patrons are staring, Levi, and I already know what I need to know."

The spoon, Irina’s mug fall still, and Levi exhales the tension from his shoulders. Irina continues.

"You fear your lack of control. You are angry at it for what it means for those you love. You hate it. Because you hate it, you suffer. Because you suffer, you are here now. Am I correct?"

Levi doesn’t reply.

"Fear leads to anger, leads to hate, leads to suffering,” Irina says while picking dust from beneath her nails. “And suffering leads to the Dark Side. Trite words, but trite for a reason. The Order can help you."

"Fine."

"Hmm?"

"Fine!" The spoon rattles and Levi shoots it a wide eyed look. "Fine. I’ll go with you."

Irina picks it up and sets it on the saucer. “I have some belongings I need to collect before I may leave.”

“Great,” Levi says, standing. “I can meet you at the spaceport-”

“That won’t be necessary. It won’t take long, and it’d be more efficient if you simply accompanied me.”

Irina has very little at the inn: a spare robe, some undergarments, a toothbrush. Jedi travel light, and even amongst them Irina is considered austere. The only indulgence she keeps for herself is her hair: Irina has never cut it, except to trim the ends. She wakes up early to brush it before a mirror, weave it into braids to twist into a tight bun.

"I haven’t been with the Jedi since I was born what the hell difference is a few hours going to make?"

"By your logic then, it would cost you similarly little to come with me.” Irina tilts her head to the side, her face softening. “It’ll be easier. A quick, clean break."

Levi swallows. “Okay.”

They’re at the spaceport soon enough, with Irina in the pilot seat and her bag stowed away. She gestures for Levi to sit in the copilot’s seat as she warms up the engine.

“Do all Jedi get their own hyperspace capable ships?”

Irina’s face twists unpleasantly. “Buckle in before the shock from takeoff knocks you out of your seat.”

Levi sits with his hands tucked beneath his thighs. He arches an eyebrow at her, the edge of his lips quirked in silent victory.  

“Don’t get smart with me.” Irina waves her hand, and the safety restraints snap shut.

“Hey, what the-”

“To answer your question,” Irina continues, ignoring Levi’s struggling as he wriggles and wrestles with the belt buckle. “I was issued one for personal use for the duration of my assignment. It belongs to the Order, not to me.” She grabs the yoke to steer the ship out of the dock. It shakes as it pulls away, the metal giving a low groan, and true to her word, the force throws Levi forward.

“Wait, what the fuck is-”

“We’re pulling out of the spaceport. Once we’ve broken free of the atmosphere, I’ll set hyperspace coordinates for Coruscant and we’ll be off.”

Levi’s nails scratch against the metal arm rests, panic cresting from him and hitting Irina in a wave of sudden nausea. “Levi, it’s perfectly safe,” Irina says after swallowing down the bile in her throat. “You need to calm down.”

“I’ve never. I’ve never been on a-“

As she powers up the thrusters, the shaking gets worse. “Nothing bad is going to happen, Levi,” she bites out, but her stomach twists so tightly, Irina thinks she’ll vomit, and Levi’s panicked hyperventilation is all she can hear. She puts him into a Force induced sleep, and sighs as the tension eases from her body.

She punches in the code for Coruscant.

*

By the time they re-enter the atmosphere and land, Levi has truly fallen asleep, so Irina takes the chance to push the hair that had fallen into his face out of the way to get a better look at him. He lied about his age, she’s sure, though not because he thought he did. He mumbles something incomprehensible and shifts deeper into the chair. At that, Irina allows herself a laugh, quiet and gentle, more akin to an amused exhale. She unfastens his seat belt and hoists him into her arms.

"Master Smith! You’ve returned early!"

"I won’t be here long," Irina says to the padawan as she descends the boarding ramp. "I’ll be heading out within the week, hopefully sooner."

"Understood, Master Smith. I’ll adjust preparations accordingly." The padawan shoots Levi a strange look as Irina passes him, but she doesn’t spare him a glance as she strides into the Temple.

She heads to the infirmary first, because she doubts Levi has ever gotten a shot in his life, is sure he’s malnourished and that won’t do for a Jedi in training. She wonders what the Healers will say when she asks about his age. Levi is small and bony in her arms.

"You haven’t finished your assignment, have you?"

"Mike." Irina turns around. "Hello to you as well. Would you care to accompany me to the Halls of Healing? We can speak as we walk."

Mike moves from where he’s leaned against the wall to come to Irina’s side, and she starts again, pace as brisk as it had been before.

"You brought back a Force sensitive."

"Yes."

"He’s too old to join the younglings."

Irina doesn’t miss a step. “Yes.”

“Are you planning on taking him on directly as your padawan?”

Irina steps inside and hails a droid. “Run a full body scan and open a new medical file for this boy, as I don’t believe he has one. Find me a Healer to consult for when he wakes.”

"Immediately, Master Jedi." The droid’s hydraulics whirr as it tilts its head. "Please, follow me to Ward 2."

Mike stays quiet until Irina has set Levi upon a bed. “Irina,” he says, not bothering to hide his irritation.

She adjusts his limbs so they lie straight. “Yes?”

Mike sighs through his nose. “What are you planning?”

"When Levi wakes, I intend to question him about his medical history to update his vaccinations and to run a midichlorian test. Something tells me he has never seen a needle in his life."

"Irina."

"And after, I would seek audience with the Jedi Council concerning his future. Levi is undeniably powerful, and I think, given his potential, an exception can be made. If not, well. I think he’s young enough that I-” She looks up, startled. “We can still manage.”

“This is very unlike you.”

“Yes, I’m aware-”

“What if you fail to convince the Council?” Mike says, walking up to her side and gesturing at the bed. “You’ve already formed a Force bond with him.”

“Ah,” Irina murmurs, dropping Levi’s hand. She’d been curious as to where the calm within her had come from. “How unprofessional.”

*

“It’s scratchy,” Levi mumbles, tugging at his sleeve. His old clothes have been discarded for Jedi robes and his hair trimmed. He scuffs his boot against the marble elevator floor.

“Don’t ruin the floor,” Irina says, straightening his robes. “Avoid speaking unless the Council directly addresses you, and if they do, keep your answers short. Less chance of you saying something to offend them that way. Stand upright, shoulders straight. Be on your best behavior, whatever that may be. I don’t want to see nor hear any cheek from you while we’re meeting with the Council, understood?” She grips him by the jaw to force him to look into her eyes.

“Fine.” His eyes widen as the elevator rises higher, sunlight flooding it through the window and revealing Coruscant’s cityscape. He jerks free from Irina to press his nose against the glass.

“You’ll smudge the glass,” she says exasperatedly, but she only crosses her arms, feeling fond and indulgent. She’s too old and too familiar to be enamored by Coruscant’s endless stretch of skyscrapers. “Welcome to Coruscant. Hopefully, if all goes well, it will become your home for the years to come.”

“It’s so big. How many people are even here?”

“Last census indicated one trillion, though Coruscant has a sizeable transient population that wasn’t included. It’s the capital of the of the Galactic Republic,” she says, coming to stand by Levi’s side, “and the location of the Jedi Temple: the very heart of our Order. We guard the Republic’s peace.”

Levi is still awestruck when the elevator door swishes open, so Irina wraps her arm around Levi’s shoulder to guide him out into the hall, where their presence would be announced to the Council. She catches him sneaking glances at the busts of previous Masters and gives his shoulder a squeeze before leading him forward to the present him for the Council’s scrutiny.

“Unexpected this is, from you.”

Irina swallows. “Yes, Master Yoda.”

“Impeccably devoted to the Code, you are. Among the most dutiful of the Jedi, you have been.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“And yet,” Yoda says, striking the floor with his gimmer stick, “brought before us a child beyond age, you have!”

“I am well aware of my actions,” Irina says, stiffening at the reprimand. She berates herself for how defensive she feels, but speaks regardless. “If I may be allowed to give my personal assessment of Levi? I will defer and to whatever your judgment may be, Masters, but I wish for my case to be heard first.”

Yoda’s ears twitch as he settles back in his seat, but he stays quiet. Adi Gallia gives her an encouraging wave, and Irina continues.

“It is my opinion that Levi is exceptionally powerful in the Force. As I pursued him, he used the Force to augment his physical abilities instinctively, with a level fluency I believe would shame some of my peers. His talent is marred by his turbulent emotions, which is in fact, why he later approached me of his own accord. I concede was provoked by fear, but I wish to stress his compassion: he does not desire for his Force abilities to do harm. Given this, I believe Levi has the potential to become an able Jedi and a boon to the Order and its goals. However, without proper instruction and control, he will destroy himself and everything around him.”

“A rather dramatic prediction,” Mace Windu says, lips pursed together in a frown. Irina clasps her hands together.

“I stand by my assessment. An untrained Force sensitive of Levi’s power poses a great risk, one for which the Order must take responsibility.”

“I sense his fear,” chimes Shaak Ti. “It may be wiser to proceed cautiously. Sever his connection to the Force and arrange for an education elsewhere. How old are you?”

Irina inhales sharply at the words. To hear them from Shaak Ti’s mouth turned the possibility from hypothetical into reality, and although she keeps her arms loose by her side, her fingers curl tightly into fists. Levi’s breathing grows short and quick, and Shaak Ti’s gaze narrows at the admission. Before she could think better of it, Irina directs calm towards Levi, soothing him before he responds.

“The Healer said seven.”

“Very much past the traditional age of recruitment,” says Saesee Tiin as Shaak Ti shifts her gaze to Irina herself. Shame burns her, renders her vision cloudy. She doesn’t know when the bond formed, how it got so strong.

“Perhaps,” interrupts Dot Pixis, “a trial. As Master Yoda said, Jedi Knight Irina Smith has shown nothing but the utmost dedication to her Jedi duties. For her to violate tradition to such an extent, she must be deeply convinced of the course of action. I’m sure all of you noticed how well she dealt with the boy’s emotions just now, and agree it would be a shame to sever a master-padawan bond so powerful already. Jedi Smith’s discipline and her reputation as a relentless and strict taskmaster precedes her, and I believe make her well-suited for the task. She is more than ready to take her first padawan.

“But,” he adds, “Levi’s progress will be monitored carefully by the Council. Should we judge his progress unsatisfactory, that he is as powerful and volatile as you claim - you know what you must do. I believe this is a proposal the Council can concede to?”

A murmur ripples through the council room, but Irina keeps her eyes on Yoda, who closes his eyes and his grip on his gimmer stick. His sigh as much acquiescence as Irina could hope to have.

“Very well,” speaks Mace Windu. “The responsibility of Levi’s training will be given to you, Knight Smith. May the Force be with you.”

“Thank you, Masters,” Irina says, surprised she didn’t fall when she bowed her head was so dizzy. “I will not fail.”

She ushers Levi out of the room with her hand on his back. After she calls for the elevator, she slumps against the wall and heaves. Levi wrinkles his nose at her.

“What now?”

“Now,” she says, after they’ve stepped inside the elevator, taking a lock of his overgrown bangs into her palm, “now, we get your hair cut. You’re my padawan learner now, and padawans keep a braid for the duration of their apprenticeship. When you become a knight, it will be severed.

“But first we need to return you to the Halls of Healing. The Healers wish to keep you under longer supervision to ensure you don’t have a reaction to any of the vaccinations they’ve given you. I was also,” she coughs into her fist, “in the middle of an assignment when I brought you here. I need to complete it before I can begin instructing you. You should take the time to rest and recuperate; your medical evaluation indicated you were malnourished and dehydrated.”

“Um-”

“You’re at a distinct disadvantage. Most Jedi are brought into the Order in their infancy, split into clans and educated in our ways until around their Jedi Initiate Trials, when they are apprenticed to a Jedi Knight for individual instruction. You’ve missed years of tutelage in languages, history, laws, lightsaber combat, and sciences.”

“Uh-”

“For that reason,” she says, pulling a datapad out from her pocket and pushing him towards his infirmary bed, “I’ve arranged some readings for you do in the interim. This should provide you a basic understanding of the Jedi Order’s history, structure, function, our Code and what is expected from a Jedi Knight. I’ll be testing you on the material when I return, understood?” She drops it in his lap.

“Wait!”

“Unfortunately, I can’t. I’ve already delayed long enough on this assignment, and if I continue any longer it will reflect badly upon the Order. Considering all I’ve done to draw the Council’s ire today, I’d rather not exacerbate my poor standing. Cooperate with the Healers, Levi. I’ll return soon.”

Irina is out of the ward before Levi can protest.

*

Irina returns within the week, nursing a growing migraine and a crick in her neck. As the boarding ramp extends, Irina leans back against the headrest with her eyes closed and exhales slowly through her nose. This would be her last assignment for quite some time, given her new padawan.

She doubts Levi would ever become a Consular of any note. There’s too much disdain in him, grown from his childhood on the streets. The roots are too deep for her to reach, and Irina dreads the first banquet she ever attends with him. Drilling enough basic etiquette into him to keep him from offending anyone will be more than enough of a challenge, along with proper respect for the Code.

As a Guardian though, Irina thinks Levi would do well. Levi should take well to lightsaber combat, and with consideration to his agility, she thinks Ataru would suit him. The thought is not one she relishes; Irina would much rather forget her forfeited attempts to master Form IV, even if her master disagrees.

Skipping a detour to her quarters to unpack, she enters the infirmary still smelling of ozone and compressed oxygen. She finds Levi where he left him, in bed, though the datapad is left discarded on the nightstand. Irina pulls up a chair and powers it back up.

“Did you do as I asked?”

“No,” Levi says, turning to face her for the first time since Irina entered the room. His expression is dark and ugly; the glower he gives her acrid enough to melt steel. Irina clears her throat.

“Whyever not?” she asks as she flicks through the display with a finger.

“Because,” Levi says, slow and deliberate.

“I can’t.” He snatches the datapad from her hand.

“Read!” He throws it back, where it hits Irina in the chest and drops into her lap.

“Oh.”

“And I would’ve told you, if you’d just listened!” Levi’s voice climbs to a pitch that approaches hysteria. “I tried to tell you!”

“Levi, I’m,” Irina inhales, setting the datapad down. “I’m deeply sorry. I was distracted with other concerns. I cannot guarantee it won’t happen again, but in the future, I will. Endeavor to do better.” She swallows. “You deserve better.”

“I asked one of the Jedi here about some things,” he says, curling his knees up to his chest. “I’m not going back, am I? I’m never going to see any of them again.”

The truth is he won’t. With his background, Irina finds it unlikely the Council will ever allow Levi anywhere near his home system even if he proves himself. Irina could tell him the truth.

“Most likely not, but perhaps you will. The Force is hardly predictable by anyone, even the wisest of Jedi.” She reaches for Levi’s cheek. “Levi. Levi, look at me.”

The under circles to his eyes are puffy, so Irina soothes the skin with her thumb. She should’ve brought him with her, she realizes, as her headache from earlier dissipates. Their bond, so newly made, had grown frayed and thin while she was gone.

“I’ve never had a padawan of my own, much less one with circumstances as unusual as yours. The Jedi are encouraged to shirk attachments, so I thought a quick, clean break with your friends would have been the best course of action. I see now that it was not. If you’ll forgive me, we can start over. If that’s alright.”

“Yeah. That’s okay. I’m not though. With you.”

Through the bond, Levi feels sore, aching but mollified. “I suppose we’ll have to begin by teaching you how to read and write. Until then, I suppose I’ll simply have to lecture you on the Code and Order tenets. Once we’ve accomplished some basics, I can introduce you to lightsaber combat, which I believe you will find quite enjoyable.”

Yes, she thinks. She thinks they’ll be just fine.


End file.
